Ash-retaining jacket for a cigarette



Aug. 25, 1959 V R. A. CAMPBELL ,9

ASH-RETAINING JACKET FOR A CIGARETTE Filed Dec. 26, 1956 g FIG. 2

I N V EN TOR. zPOBEPTA Chm/ 552 States 2,900,987 ASH-RETAINING JACKET FOR A CIGARETTE Application December 26, 1956, Serial No. 63%,523 1 Claim. (Cl. 131-174) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the smoking art and, more particularly, relates to an ash- Ietaining jacket that is cooperable with cigarettes, cigars, or the like, so as to provide a completely safe and fireresistant jacket, primarily in order to prevent the occurrence of accidental fires caused by discarded cigarettes.

Many fires are caused by careless people who, discard live cigarettes, as many as one third, according to fire insurance records, resulting in damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars as well as death to thousands of people. It is a common practice, to smoke while in bed, and if a person should fall asleep with a cigarette in his hand or carelessly (usually unconsciously) discards the cigarette on the bed or on the floor, it usually results. in a fire. Perhaps for most people the fire will not be too serious and they will awaken in time to discover what has happened, but for a large number of people, this is not the case and they may awake only to discover too late that there is a serious fire raging which they are unable to control. Many of these unfortunate people die in fires of their own making, many more are seriously burned, and literally thousands have their valuables or property burned either completely or partly. A large number of forest fires, if not the majority of forest fires, are started by carelessly discarded cigarettes as well as thousands. of fires in the home, factory, and farm. Less serious, but still important, is the fact that burning cigarettes can cause damage to clothing, furniture, or rugs when the cigarette comes in contact with the aforementioned items through inadvertence. Many important personal articles have been ruined this way and frequently results in extensive repair work. Cigarette burns to clothing are sometimes beyond repair. An annoying by-product of cigarette smoking is the residual asheswhich tend to make the housewifes work more demanding since. the cigarette is incapable of retaining its own ashes and when these ashes are rubbed into clothing or rugs, it is almost impossible to get out except by dry cleaning.

The present invention was developed primarilyto overcome the aforementioned problems and, generally speaking, can be said to be basically a fire-resistant, ash-retaining jacket cooperable for retaining cigarette ashes and for automatically extinguishing a lighted. cigarette at'a predetermined length and consists of a jacket having a closed end, an open end, and a retaining band (and/or a snuffer band) and which is cooperable for at least partly enclosing a cigarette therein. The jacket may substantially. or partly enclose the cigarette and, if the cigarette is partly enclosed, there is usually a longitudinal open region running along the jacket. The jacket is sufi'iciently porous to allow proper ventilation for smooth smoking and also to retain the cigarette ashes. Some of the various ways which the closed end may be. fastened are by cement, staples, glass welding, stitching, adhesive means (inside or outside the jacket), or. any combination thereof. Aretaining band, which is generally adhesively coated onuthe inside to adhesively retain a cigarette (although not so limited), is used to at least partially encompass a cigarette and to brace the entire jacket assembly as well as providing a convenient place for gripping the cigarette for the smoker. The retaining band may completely encompass a portion of a cigarette or may only partly encompass the "atent ice cigarette and is normally affixed adjacent the open end of the jacket. A snufier band is mounted (in most embodiments) adjacent the retaining band, facing toward the closed end, and is cooperable for extinguishing a burning cigarette. Foldable support legs which are attached adjacent the retaining band are optionally provided to elevate the lip end of a cigarette for sanitary reasons and to park a cigarette in a particular place and prevents the cigarette from rolling on a slope, although the support legs may be affixed with respect to any part of the jacket. The cigarette is selectively insertable for mounting before or after lighting.

From the above description of basic and generic forms of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that virtually all. of the hereinbefore mentioned prior art problems and/ or disadvantages are substantially entirely eliminated, met and/ or overcome in and through use of the present invention.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a completely safe, fire resistant jacket which is cooperable with cigarettes in order to virtually eliminate accidental fires or burns caused by discarded. live cigarettes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an easily removable and interchangeable jacket which will firmlyposition a cigarette in such a manner which eliminates the possibility that the cigarette will ever be accidentally disengaged from the jacket.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fire-resistant jacket for a cigarette or cigar which will effectively and substantially retain the residual ashes therein.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an easily foldable ash-retaining jacket which will automatically extinguish a. burning cigarette at a predetermined length.

Another object of thepresent invention is to provide a fire-resistant, ash-retaining jacket for cigarettes and cigars which may be used repeatedly.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character set forth in the preceding objects, which is cheap, simple, easy. to operate andof virtually foolproof construction.

Other and allied objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification, and the appended claim.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow described figures, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention which substantially encloses a cigarette, with partof the closed endbroken away to reveal the adhesive fastening means afiixed to the inside of the. jacket;

Fig. 2 is an operational perspective view of the jacket, such as shown in Fig. 1, with a cigarette enclosed. therein and with the support legs extended outward inorder to park the cigarette;

Fig. 3 is an operational perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention with a cigarette insertedtherein and with this version having a longitudinal open region running along the jacket;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention with the jacket having a longitudinal open region therealong and with the retaining band being cooperable for partly encompassing a: portion of a cigarette;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a. still further embodiment of the present invention with the jacket having a. longitudinal open region therealong and with the retaining band being afliiied therein andhaving an adhesive surface so as to be adhesively cooperable with a cigarette;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the closed end of the jacket, of the type illustrated in Fig. 3, with a cigarette therein and the support legs extended; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the open end of the jacket, of the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 13, with a cigarette inserted therein and the support legs extended.

Reference should be made to Figs. 1, 2 and 7, which show one illustrative embodiment of the present invention. Generally speaking, this embodiment has a jacket 8A which substantially encloses a cigarette 10 therein and has a cutaway portion 9 which facilitates lighting of the cigarette 10. The jacket SA has an open end 11A, which permits ingress or egress of the cigarette 10, and a closed end 12A. The closed end 12A is fastened together by means of adhesive tape means 13, as shown in Fig. 1, affixed with respect to the inside of said jacket 8A. A retaining band 14A, affixed adjacent the open end 11A, encircles the jacket 8A in order to maintain the open end 11A and is cooperable for encompassing (usually adhesively for better retention of the cigarette 10) a portion of a cigarette 10, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. The band 14A also serves as a convenient gripping surface for the smoker. A snuifer band 15A, aifixed adjacent the retaining band 14A, encircles the jacket 8A and is cooperable for extinguishing a lighted cigarette 10 upon contact with the burning portion. The snuffer band 15A is generally made from a metal foil, although not so limited, and may comprise a chemically treated substance for putting out fires. It should be noted that the snuffer band 15A may work by effective constriction of the tobacco in the lighted cigarette 10, thus inhibiting the supply of oxygen to the constricted region and causing extinction in said constricted region. If the snuifer band 15A is made from metallic foil or other good conductor of heat, this also tends to reduce temperatures and facilitate extinction of the burning portion of the cigarette. The jacket 8A may be provided with foldable support legs 16A, attached adjacent the band 14A, wherein the lip end of a cigarette 10 may be elevated for sanitary purposes and the cigarette 10 may be parked in a particular place (such as a sloped area), as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. This version has the greatest ash-retaining characteristics of all versions and may be correctly termed a portable ash tray.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 3, 6, and 7 and is a slight modification of the version shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7, and corresponding parts will be indicated by similar reference numerals, with a different alphabetical designation, however. The modification of this invention is quite similar to the first form of the present invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7 and differences will be readily apparent upon consideration thereof. In this connection, it should be noted that this embodiment of the present invention has an open region 17B running longitudinally along the jacket 8B which permits greater ventilation for the cigarette 10 and also permits the smoker to see how far he has burned his cigarette 10. Adhesive foil means 18 are affixed with respect to the closed end 1213 on the outer surface of the jacket 8B, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, although not necessarily limited to the specific fastening means shown. The ash-retaining characteristics of this embodiment compare very favorably with the first version of the present invention.

A further version of the present invention is illustrated in Fig. 4, and corresponding parts will be indicated by similar reference numerals, with a different alphabetical designation, however. In this version the retaining band 140 only partly encompasses a cigarette 10 and staple means 19 (although not so limited) are used to fasten the closed end 12C. The retaining band 14C has an inner adhesive surface 20C which is cooperable for adhesively retaining a cigarette 10. Insertion of the cigarette 10 is greatly facilitated in this particular version of the present invention.

Fig. 5 represents a still further embodiment of the pres ent invention and is quite similar to the version shown in Fig. 4; corresponding parts will be indicated by similar reference numerals, with a different alphabetical designation, however. The retaining band 14D is affixed with respect to the inside of the jacket 8D and has an adhesive surface 20]) which is cooperable for adhesively retaining a cigarette with respect to the jacket 8D. The closed end 12D is glass welded together in this particular version. This version is generally V-shaped to facilitate collection and retention of cigarette ashes and may be chemically treated to extinguish a lighted cigarette or may have the snuffer band afiixed with respect thereto.

The jacket of the present invention is normally made from fiberglass of fiber frax, either matted or woven, although heat treated woven fiberglass is recommended. A light dusting of talc powder is also recommended. Other fire resistant materials may be used for construction of the jacket such as cloth, paper (chemically treated), or the like. The retaining band may be cellophane, plastic, cloth, metal foil, fiberglass paper, or the like. The snuffer band is generally made from aluminum foil, although not so limited. 1

It should be understood that the retaining band may effectively comprise the snuifer band and vice versa.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such properly within the basic spirit, scope and/or teachings of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described, illustrated, and claimed.

For example, it is obvious that the retaining band, the support legs, and the snulfer band of the present invention may assume a variety of different locations (and/or number) other than as specifically described and illus trated herein.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claim only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

A fire-resistant, ash-retaining jacket cooperable for retaining cigarette ashes and for automatically extinguishing a lighted cigarette at a predetermined length, comprising: a jacket having a closed end, an open end, and a retaining band and being substantially cylindrical when enclosing a cigarette therein, said jacket being sufliciently porous so as to provide proper ventilation for cigarette burning; said retaining band being attached adjacent the open end of said jacket and being cooperable for encompassing a portion of a cigarette, said retaining band having at least a partially inside adhesive surface which is cooperable for adhesively retaining a cigarette; support legs, attached with respect to said jacket, which are cooperable for parking a cigarette; a snuifer band, affixed adjacent said retaining band and between said retaining band and said closed end, cooperable for extinguishing a lighted cigarette; fastening means cooperable for securing said closed end of said jacket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

